President John Mahama has dismissed assertions that water from the Teshie-Nungua desalination plant is unsafe for drinking.

At a commissioning ceremony in Accra, Friday, the President said the water from the plant is one of the best in the world and safe for domestic consumption.

His comments come in the wake of complaints by some residents that the water tastes salty and is unwholesome.

Some of the residents claimed they had running stomachs anytime they drank the water but the President has dismissed the assertions.

"This plant is a desalination plant. It involves producing clean potable from salty sea water. The water source is taken from the sea and has salt in it but through the process of desalination, the fresh water is taken out of the sea water.

"This is the first desalination plant in West Africa. There are many desalination plants in the world and especially when you go to areas that have water scarcity.

"This facility has a top class laboratory that tests the water to make sure it is always of the best quality.

Describing the residents' complaints as "false," the President said "the water is one of the best you can ever get in the world. And it is safe to drink, safe for cooking."

The President said he was going to compete with the Nungua Mantse to drink the water once it is commissioned.

The 115 million dollar project is a public-private partnership and is expected to pump water to some 500,000 residents in the Teshie-Nungua communities.

The plant is expected to pump some 13 million gallons of water daily to residents.

The president appealed to the residents to pay their water bills promptly in order to ensure the sustainability of the water distribution, Joy News' Gifty Andoh-Appiah reported.

The president said Government has invested about one billion dollars in the water sector over the last five years in an attempt to resolve the water shortage situation the country has grappled with over the years.

The Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Council Nii Odaifio Wellentse II also affirmed the water is of high quality and called for a depoliticization of the water project.

The Spanish company Abengoa is expected to operate the plant for 25 years and would transfer it to the Ghana Water Company with a revenue forcast of some 1,300 million dollars over the 25 years.